At this point I feel like folks know I have a deep love for the arts, and an even deeper love for showcasing local art here in Las Vegas.

I’ve been wanting to go on the DTLV Walking Tour for some time, and a few weeks ago finally had the opportunity.

The tour that I booked was a ‘mini-tour’ that Rikka (the founder of DTLV Art Walk) was offering as part of Ferguson’s Market in the Alley.

Sidenote, the Market in the Alley is AMAZING and I would recommend it to anyone looking to shop local makers here in Vegas…and the location is perfect for an afternoon of DTLV exploration as it’s
right near The Writer’s Block, 11th Street Records, and Public-Us.

Normally the DTLV Art Walk runs an hour and a half, but this version was around 40 minutes (which was great given that I was going a little later in the morning and it was already hot hot hot outside!)

For the normal DTLV Art Walk the meeting place is right out front at Container Park, and FYI for the truncated Ferguson’s version the meeting place is at the Marketplace.

Rikka has a deep love for Vegas (she also grew up here like me!) and over the years of leading the tours she’s had the chance to  meet a number of the artists and talk about their Vegas murals.

I don’t want to give away tooooo much about the routes that she takes the clients on because I really enjoyed her take on things and think it’s absolutely worth the money to have her be your personal guide, but I will say that the Ferguson’s tour mostly centered on the Fremont, Ogden, 11th, and Carson street areas.

It’s funny–I’ve seen so many of these murals over and over but had never really taken the time to learn the names of some of the artists who had created them.

Street art is so much like the rest of Vegas in that things change quickly. Every year for Life is Beautifulnew artwork is painted and it’s out with the old and in with the new. And it’s not that I even think that’s a bad thing! Change here in Vegas is constant and your artwork is impermanent.

But I loved that Rikka’s tour gave me the opportunity to learn about some of the artwork I hadn’t taken the time to research, as it’s ever changing.

Her instagram feed for DTLV Art Walk is one of my favorites because it showcases such a diverse group of artists not just in Las Vegas, but all over the world, since her work leads her to travel out of state and overseas often.

The entire experience from start to finish was fantastic. I got a little confused about the meeting point and she even called my cell phone (as you enter this info when you book a ticket) to make sure I wasn’t lost.  Tours are also offered early morning (perfect for us sober folks!) as well as later in the afternoon.

My recommendation is to wear comfortable shoes, bring double the water you think you’ll need especially in summer, bring sunscreen,wear a hat, and maybe even bring a light scarf to cover up because it is super sunny and triple digit hot out there these days.

Thanks Rikka for putting together something really special in DTLV and showcasing the incredible art we have here!